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🚫 “Sorry, Dad’s Not Available Right Now (Because Mum Said So)” – A Modern Guide to Parental Alienation

Ah, parenting in the 21st century: where equality is plastered all over hashtags, but if you’re a dad trying to see your own child, you might as well be applying for a passport to Mars.

Let me paint you a picture. You're a father. You love your daughter. You want to be in her life. Radical concept, I know. But instead of warm embraces and school pick-ups, you're handed emotional warfare wrapped in legal tape, with a side order of ghosting.

And then someone has the nerve to ask:
"So why aren’t you seeing your daughter?"

Mate, I don’t know—maybe because I'm not the one building the wall?

Plot Twist: It’s Not Me Keeping Me Away

Here’s the kicker. I’m not avoiding my daughter. I'm not out of touch because I "couldn’t be bothered." I haven’t run off to join a spiritual goat cult in Peru (yet). I’m here. I’m trying. But apparently, in some modern parenting circles, "trying to be a dad" is a controversial act.

Ask me how to build a fence? Done. Fix a boiler? Easy.
Ask me how to navigate co-parenting when one parent treats you like a ghost with a toolbox? Good luck.

Mothers Aren’t Always the Victims – There, I Said It

Now, brace yourselves, this might offend the “Instagram Warrior Mum” brigade—but not every dad is a deadbeat, and not every mum is a saint. Shocking, I know. Sometimes, just sometimes, a mother actively makes it difficult for a father to be involved. Whether that’s through blocking calls, undermining relationships, or feeding kids lines like, “He never really loved you,” they’re setting fire to bridges while holding the only bucket of water.

Meanwhile, the dad’s just standing there like: “Uh, can I… see my child, please?”

The Legal System: A Kafkaesque Circus with Clipboards

And don't get me started on the courts. They say “the child’s best interests come first” but forget to mention they also mean “after a 12-month delay, £10k in legal fees, and several migraines.” If you're a dad trying to prove you're worthy of being in your own kid’s life, you better start saving early—and maybe train as a lawyer on the side.

The Sibling Question: Welcome to the Family Lottery

I even get asked why my sons don’t see their sister. Well… maybe ask the person with the lock on the family door? I'm not sending them via Amazon Prime. They need access too. Relationships don't develop through text messages and filtered photos—they grow with time, effort, and shared ice cream disasters.

Final Thought: Love Shouldn’t Need a Solicitor

Look, I’m not asking for sainthood. I just want to be a dad. And when people ask me why I’m not in my daughter’s life, I want to tell them the truth:

Because I’m not stopping me. Someone else is.

And no, I won’t give up. Because one day, my daughter will come looking. And when she does, I’ll be here—battle-worn, sarcastic, probably greyer—but full of love.

And a few blog posts she’ll eventually read.

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